This is the first time that a community college, an automotive dealership and an oil industry business have been named as Baldrige Award recipients. Sunny Fresh Foods is a two-time Baldrige Award recipient; it received the award in the small business category in 1999. Baldrige Award recipients can reapply after five years.

“President Bush and I proudly announce these organizations as recipients of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award,” said Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. “By pursuing excellence in every aspect of their operations, the men and women of these innovative, high-performing organizations have proven ready to meet the competitive challenges of the future. The recipients of the Baldrige Award provide inspiration for all U.S. organizations in their quest for excellence,” he said.

The 2005 Baldrige Award recipients were selected from among 64 applicants. All six recipients were evaluated rigorously by an independent board of examiners in seven areas: leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; human resource focus; process management; and results. The evaluation process included about 1,000 hours of review and an on-site visit by teams of examiners to clarify questions and verify information in the applications.

“This recognition is significant to the award recipients because they understand the rigor and objectivity of the Baldrige Award evaluation. Each step of the award process is structured to continually refine the board of examiners’ depth of knowledge and understanding of the applicants’ performance excellence system, ensuring that only the most outstanding applicants are recognized, and that all applicants receive objective feedback for improvement,” said Roy Bauer, chair of the Baldrige Award panel of judges and president and chief operating officer, Pemstar Inc.

The 2005 Baldrige Award recipients are expected to be presented with the Baldrige Award in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., early next year.

Named after the 26th Secretary of Commerce, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award was established by Congress in 1987 to enhance the competitiveness and performance of U.S. businesses and expanded in 1998 to include education and health care. The award promotes excellence in organizational performance, recognizes the quality and performance achievements of U.S. organizations, and publicizes successful performance strategies. The award may be presented to five types of organizations: manufacturers, service companies, small businesses, education organizations and health care organizations. The award is not given for specific products or services. Since 1988, 68 Baldrige Awards have been presented to 64 organizations.

The Baldrige program is managed by NIST in conjunction with the private sector. As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Technology Administration, NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.